And if in watermelon there are no nitrates, saltpeter and other mucks, with the help of which the seller tried to give it a marketable look, its valuable substances will really benefit our body. Watermelon consists of 80% water, it contains fructose, microelements and vegetable fiber. And nothing that would give grounds for contraindications. This sweet fruit can eat even diabetics, because up to 40 g of fructose the body absorbs without losing insulin. Autumn is a wonderful time for a watermelon diet. Sweet flesh perfectly satiates and suppresses the feeling of hunger, rinses the body (an excellent diuretic), supplies the body with vitamins B, C and PP, magnesium, calcium and potassium. Great news for hypertensors and cores: a sufficient amount of magnesium does not allow pressure to gallop, and in a duet with calcium normalizes the function of the vessels. Magnesium helps bile secretion and digestion, interferes with the deposition of cholesterol and the formation of kidney stones. It also removes nervous excitability and muscle tension. And all this - for 150 grams of watermelon and only 45 calories a day! How did you eat watermelon at first and what is it valued?
Pumpkin non-standard
No one will be surprised by the information that the watermelon is a giant berry. But the fact that he is from the family of pumpkin, a little surprised. Somehow he does not really fit into our idea of a pumpkin family - too original. A native watermelon from South Africa. There, and still in Iran, Central Asia, Afghanistan and Australia, watermelons are still growing in the wild. Over the years, the man managed to "tame" this source with a delicious scarlet sugar (up to 11% sugar) pulp, and brought out a table, as well as a stern watermelon. With the canteen was not trivialized - is as is! To elbows flowing over the stomach: "15 kg is enough? And 20 do not want? However, for the sake of convenience he brought out half a kilogram, also portion.
At first watermelon was considered a delicacy
Under Peter, his scarlet flesh was often served in the palaces for dessert. But not fresh, but soaked in sugar syrup. Then, already in the time of tsarist Russia, for 5 rubles at the fair it was possible to buy a whole supply of watermelons, and to it still a loaf of bread and herring in addition. It is best to eat it fresh - and to taste it, and to improve your health. But watermelon "cooking" exists! To start with, make an aperitif watermelon frash, adding a little honey. Immediately comes the thought of different cocktails - from the watermelon "Margarita" to the hook in the watermelon. It is possible to cut out balls from a watermelon pulp with a special round spoon - and for decorating desserts, and for different salads and side dishes to meat dishes. Even the first dishes with watermelon cook - cold soups. For example, gazpacho, where the watermelon pulp is beaten with mashed potatoes with tomatoes, cucumbers and greens. Another watermelon is wetted and marinated, like cucumbers or tomatoes, prepare watermelon honey (nardek), make candied fruits and even drive moonshine out of it. With a watermelon, soft cheese such as brynza and feta, olives, nuts and seeds, tomatoes, ham, coriander and mint combine well. From watermelon crusts cook a wonderful jam, adding vanillin, citrus, spices for flavor and aroma. Chinese chefs white part of the crust shred and fry in oil with garlic, onion, sugar and rum.
Flour choice
In order not to fall victim to diarrhea and get a real pleasure with the taste of watermelon, adhere to such rules.
■ Never buy watermelons on tracks, from cars, etc. Or at least be interested in documents for watermelons.
■ Choose a watermelon with a dark background and lighter stripes.
■ Avoid too small and too large specimens. The average weight of watermelon is 5-7 kg.
■ Watermelon should be without matt coating, cracks and dents. Carefully inspect the fruit: a small rotten place with a dot in the center - almost a guarantee that the watermelon was injected with nitrate by a syringe, in order to "ripen" earlier.
■ The "tail" should be yellowish and dried, but not completely withered, as this is the first sign of long storage.
■ Watermelons come in two genders. Look at them under the "tail": the "watermelon" bottom is flatter, and the circle is larger in diameter. "Girls" are considered tastier: there are fewer stones in them, and there are more sugars.
■ Note the yellow spot on the watermelon side - if it is bright yellow, then, touching the ground, the fruit ripens itself. And if the stain is too big - it lacked sun and heat, and most likely the watermelon will be watery and unsweetened.
■ Put a watermelon on one hand and pat another: the ripe will make a sonorous echo, resonate and give in the other hand, the immature flesh is dense and the sound in its thickness spreads with difficulty. Squeeze the watermelon with your hands - the ripe will gently crackle.
■ When you come home, load the berry into a basin or a bucket of water: the ripe will swim, and the green one will drown.
■ Pulp can tell a lot about the "chemical composition": if it has a red with a violet hue, color, yellow, dense veins, glossy and smooth, and not a sugary cut, means watermelon for sure "pinned". You can spend a little experience: if the pulp crushed in a glass of water makes it just cloudy, then the watermelon is "right" if it turns pink or red - watermelon "chemical".